Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake go face-to-face with city residents about their crime-fighting strategies in the first of several town hall meetings to spur community involvement. George Lettis has details.

HE WILL RECEIVE $25,000 OF THE SETTLEMENT. COMMISSIONER BATTS AND MAYORS IF IN A RAWLINGS BLAKE -- AND MAYOR STEPHANIE RAWLINGS-BLAKE HAVE A STRATEGY TO SPUR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT. INTO NICE PUBLIC FORUM, IT COMES AS A NATIONALLY RENOWNED CRIMINOLOGIST MAKES A VISIT TO BALTIMORE TO DO RESEARCH IN THE CITY'S ROLE TO CUT DOWN ON VIOLENT CRIME. IT WAS A MEET AND GREET OF SORTS BETWEEN WEST BALTIMORE AND THE MAYOR AND THE POLICE COMMISSIONER. THE FORUM WAS PARK UNA AND PART PRESENTATION ON THE CITY'S LATEST CRIME-FIGHTING STRATEGY FOCUSED ON NABBING REPEAT VIOLENT OFFENDERS. THE STRATEGY INCLUDES INCREASING THE ENFORCEMENT ZONES FROM FOUR TO 17, AND IMPROVING INFORMATION GATHERING. IT COMES THE SAME WAY THAT DAVID KENNEDY WAS IN TOWN GATHERING WHAT. HE CALLS INTELLIGENCE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS. -- WHAT HE CALLS INTELLIGENCE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS. IT IS A GROUP VIOLENCE REDUCTION STRATEGY THAT HAS SHOWN TO WORK IN OTHER CITIES. CEASE-FIRE BRINGS CERTAIN PARTS OF COMMUNITIES COME A SOCIAL SURVEYS, AND POLICE TO CONFRONT THOSE CAUSING THE VIOLENCE AND OFFERING MENTORING SERVICES. BUT HOW DO YOU GET CRIMINALS TO AGREE TO A MEETING? THE MAYOR SAYS YOU INVITE THEM. THE WAY THEY HAVE DONE THE COLLINS IN OTHER CITIES, PEOPLE HAVE COME AND IT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL. KENNEDY CALLED THE WILLINGNESS TO MAKE HIS STRATEGY WORK EXEMPLARY. THEY ARE IN MUCH BETTER SHAPE THAN I WOULD HAVE IMAGINED POSSIBLE TO MOVE FAST AND EFFECTIVELY. THE MAYOR EXPECTS OPERATION SEES FOR -- CEASE-FIRE TO BE